Restaurants

By Roopa Gulati

Westminster’s acclaimed Cinnamon Club has a new sibling: Cinnamon Kitchen, which clearly has high hopes that its Modern Indian menu will attract discerning diners with deep pockets. Vivek Singh, who fronts kitchen affairs at both restaurants, delivers a menu which combines regional Indian spice combinations with Western-style presentation.

Located in a former warehouse, this restaurant has scrubbed up into a spacious venue with chunky wooden tables, a ‘tandoori counter’ for light bites, and an adjoining cocktail bar. The decor seems a strange combination – industrial piping and grey interiors, beside warm wood tables and ethnic flourishes. It doesn’t quite work for cosy ambience.

An updated street food classic of spiced fruit salad was transformed into a first class starter of chargrilled fruit with its tease of fresh juicy flavours. Crisp starfruit, pineapple, apple and chunky pear morsels – all marvellously smoky and cloaked in hints of tamarind and tart spice. Not as memorable as the fruit, our beef fillet salad lost marks for being overcooked and excessively salty – a shame because its tangy lime and chilli dressing anointed over leafy greens would otherwise have made a zesty start.

Grilled plaice fillet, although cooked to perfection, was marred by the bitterness of its tandoori-style lemon and ginger marinade, and the astringent coriander relish was too overpowering. Only the chill of creamy yoghurt, seasoned with popped mustard seeds, provided some respite.

Singh is at his best when expanding on homely flavours. We were seriously impressed by the succulence of lightly fried chicken breast, topped with a tangle of mustardy fenugreek leaves. Simply prepared and served with a marvellous mum’s-own masala of onions, ginger and garlic, this was the best dish.

It’s worth saving space for pudding – our decent (if overly set) almond and cardamom panna cotta was silky smooth, and topped with a sumptuous sliver of sherry jelly and a heap of glossy grilled dates.

Service is keen, but the waiters need to be better acquainted with the intricacies of their menu if they are to make the grade.The elegantly appointed outdoor terrace could be a treat for next summer – there is a lot of potential for this restaurant if the owners can fine-tune their act.

Time Out London Issue 2008: February 12-18 2009